Includes:
The Cicada and the Ant	The Oak and the Reed
The Wolf and the Lamb	The Pilgrims and the Oyster
The Companions of Odysseus	The Raven and the Fox
The Meeting Held by the Rats	The Cat and the Two Sparrows
The Animals Sick with the Plague	Death and the Woodcutter

Cast: Soprano, 2 Tenor, Bass (min.)
Instr: Flute, 2 Oboes, Bassoon, String Quartet
[Elkan-Vogel]

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Why Bob and Carol do not appear in this opera is only one of many inexplicable conundra; this is one of P.D.Q. Bach’s most incomprehensible operas, and the character of the Monk is one of the most incomprehensible characters in it, and the aria sung by the Monk is incomprehensible in several different languages.

Dur: 20'
Cast: Bargain Counter Tenor; 2 Female Singers, 6 Male Singers
Instr: Calliope/Beri Beritone Hpscd. Pno. Water glasses

[Theodore Presser Company]

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Based on an actual dream that P.D.Q. Bach had on the night of December 4, 1791, the night that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died and Antonio Salieri didn’t.

Dur: 20'
Cast: Tenor, Baritone, 2 non-singing roles (1 preferably a violinist)
Instr: Strings (music of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, conducted by 1st Vln. from part; no full orchestral score; specially marked string parts on rental)

Vocal score published: 411-41085
[Theodore Presser Company]

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With characters such as Don Octave, the Commendatoreador and Carmen Ghia, the names seem strangely familiar, yet confused ... All does fall into place, however, but we would hate to spoil the surprise by giving away the plot!

Dur: 35'
Cast: Mezzanine-Soprano, Off-Coloratura Soprano, Bargain Counter Tenor
Instr: 1 1 0 1 - 1 1 1 0; Hpscd. Str.

Vocal score published: 411-41055
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A boy and girl meet at a costume party, and arrange a date: he will wear a red carnation. However, at the rendezvous, she finds not only the boy, but also an older man, both with red carnations. The girl’s apparent confusion leads to a lively interaction between the three characters.

Dur: 35'
Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Baritone
Instr: 1 1 2 1 - 0 0 0 0; Pno. Str. (3Vln. Vla. 2Vcl. Cb.)

Vocal Score published: 492-00003
[Composers Library Editions]

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A comedy of one-liners. Ba-da-boom!

Dur: 60’
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone
Instr: Piano
[Theodore Presser Company]

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The classical tale (attributed to Aesop), adapted for opera. Androcles saves a lion from great pain, and later, when Androcles is captured and thrown to the lions, the same lion refuses to attack. Impressed, the Emperor saves both man and beast.

Dur: 50’
Cast: Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Narrator, Stage Manager (mime)
Instr: Piano
[Theodore Presser Company]

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The Borscht Belt staged: a dramatization of Jewish jokes.

Dur: 60’
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone
Instr: Piano
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Jimmy, a disillusioned photographer, prepares to take his life, but is interrupted by a distraught customer who threatens suicide unless he has his picture taken. Enter a third man also on the verge of suicide because of unrequited love. Jimmy’s girlfriend now has three unhinged men on her hands, and uses her wits to save the day.

Dur: 40’
Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass
Instr: Piano
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Alice’s adventures.

Dur: 40’
Cast: 2 Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Narrator
Instr: Piano
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A satire dealing with some of the weaknesses of human nature in a comedic way, through the characters of the cynical Pierrot, the ditsy Columbine, and the naively innocent Corydon and Thyrsis, overseen by the manipulative Masque of Tragedy, Cothurnus.

Dur: 50'
Cast: Soprano, 2 Tenor, Baritone, Bass
Instr: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 0; Timp. Perc. Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A dark comedy about a wealthy entrepreneur who builds a gambling casino in a seaside resort, wreaking mayhem in the town, and also in his own family. The mogul lives by money and greed, and his son has strong moral objections. However, they both experience dramatic character changes…

Dur: full evening
Cast: 9 singers, small chorus
Instr: 3 Reeds(Alto Sax./Fl./Picc./Cl., Cl./Sop.Sax./Ob., Bari.Sax./B.Cl.), 1 Brass(Tbn/Tba), Piano/Kbd.(2 Players), 1 Perc. (Drums/Perc.) (Cabaret version for 3 or 4 singers and 2 keyboard players also available)
[E.B. Marks Music]

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Finally, an opera heroine who is not neurotic about sex! A tale of fraud for personal gain re-told from the woman’s point of view. Lucrezia is a heroine very much in control of her destiny.

Dur: 45’
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass
Instr: 2 Pianos
[E.B. Marks Music]

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A real tour de force for the soprano, who portrays not only the mythological monster, but also the beautiful maiden that she once was.

Dur: 25'
Cast: Soprano
Instr: String Orchestra
[E.B. Marks Music]

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A poor couple in rural Tennessee visit the Justice of the Peace to get a divorce. As they struggle through the proceedings, they realize that their affection for each other outweighs their arguments, and end up re-marrying each other.

Dur: 35'
Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Baritone
Instr: 1 1 2 1 - 2 2 2 0; Timp. Perc. Pno. Str.(3Vln. Vcl. Cb.)
[Theodore Presser Company]

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In eighteenth-century Québec, the only way for someone under sentence of death to escape hanging was, for a man, to become a hangman, or, for a woman, to marry one. In 1738, Françoise Laurent, sentenced to hang for stealing, persuaded Jean Corolère, in the next cell, to apply for the vacant post of executioner, and also to marry her…

Dur: 45'
Cast: Mezzo-Soprano
Instr: Fl.(dbl. Picc., A.Fl.) Cl.(dbl. EbCl., B.Cl.) A.Sax.(dbl. T.Sax.) Perc. Pno. Vln. Vcl.
[Merion Music Inc.]

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Dur: 60'
Cast: Soprano, Baritone or Tenor, Chorus of 8 low male voices
Instr: 1 2 1 0 - 0 2 2 1; 4Perc. Pno. Cel. 1Vcl. 1Cb.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Dur: 30'
Cast: 2 Soprano, Contralto, Tenor, Bass
Instr: 1 0 1 1 - 0 1 1 0; Perc. Pno. Vln. Cb.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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The action takes place on a theatre stage - no specific era - and emphasizes 'illusion' in preference to reality. This piece is a tribute (both from admiration and affection) to the vaudeville show, and additionally takes it as a metaphor for the human condition: the progress of its action linked to the seven ages of man.

Dur: 38'
Cast: 2 Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone, 2 Mimes
Instr: Cl. Bsn. Flugelhorn Tbn.; Perc. Vln. Cb.
[United Music Publishers]

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Two horticulturalists, Ms. J.H. Joslyn (middle-aged, attractive) and Mr. Kermit Wasserman (also middle-aged, neat, almost delicate), meet by chance at a flower show. Through the course of their charming encounter they discover that their prize irises may be the perfect mates for each other. Two very different people move from an uneasy chance meeting to an easy alliance.

Dur: 60’
Cast: Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone
Instr: Fl. Cl. Pno./Synth. Vln. Vcl. -or- Pno.
[Piedmont Music]

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Louise and Carrie, friends since their student days, meet again by chance after nearly seven years. They spend the afternoon at Louise’s apartment reminiscing about the past and telling clever stories of their contented and, finally and truthfully, their discontented lives.

Dur: 70’
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano
Instr: Fl. Cl. Pno./Synth. Vln. Vcl.; -or- Pno.
[Piedmont Music]

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Cast: 4 Soprano (2 Lyric), 2 Mezzo-Soprano, 2 Tenor, 3 Baritone, 2 Speaking roles
Instr: Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A cycle of songs documenting the composer’s emotional journey through a day that he faced as his partner was dying of AIDS.

Dur: 60’
Cast: Baritone
Instr: String Quartet (Piano as prop only) String parts on rental
Vocal score published: 411-41120
Study score published: 411-41121
[Theodore Presser]

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The ancient legend, with the Clarinet cast as Orpheus, and the Soprano as Euridice/Narrator.

Dur: 60’
Cast: Soprano
Instr: Clarinet in Bb, and Piano or Strings (single or section)
Vocal score published: VS3
[Carl Fischer]

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When Evaristo tries to present a new fan to Giannina (whom he admires), intrigue, confusion and all the elements of farce, whirl around the object.

Dur: 120'
Cast: 2 Soprano, 2 Mezzo-Soprano, 3 Tenor, 2 Baritone, 2 Bass
Instr: 1(Picc.) 1(E.H.) 1 1 - 1 0 0 0; Perc. Pno. Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Dunbar (1873 – 1906) was the first African-American poet to gain national recognition and fame. He wrote in both standard English and the black dialect of his time. The work connects 12 of Dunbar’s poems with dialogue to illustrate his short life.

Dur: 35’
Cast: Lyric Sop. Dramatic Sop. Ten. Bari.
Instr: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 0; Timp Perc. Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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At a time when Antony has apparently abandoned Cleopatra: after their first idyllic winter in Alexandria he has returned to Rome and married Octavia. Cleopatra expresses her great love for him then reflects on the world empire which she and Caesar had planned before his assassination. However, despair returns when she realizes that such things cannot be without a Caesar or an Antony. She ponders on these things during the night, and feels the presence of her ancestors. With the dawn, Cleopatra feels a renewed strength. Antony will return, they will reign together, and she will live again.

Dur: 21'
Cast: Soprano
Instr: 2 2 2 2 – 4 2 3(B.Tbn.) 0 ; Timp. Perc. Hp. Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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It is 49 BC: Caesar’s popularity has brought him into direct confrontation with the Senate, which fears his strength. He must decide whether to stand down as governor of Gaul, as the Senate orders, or follow his ambitions, cross the Rubicon and plunge the republic into the depths of a bloody civil war. “The die is cast,” exclaims Caesar as he chooses the latter course.

Dur: 25'
Cast: 2 Soprano, 1 Alto, 1 Tenor, 1 Baritone, 1 Bass, Narrator
Instr: 1 0 1 0 - 1 1 1 0; Perc. Pno. Hp. 1Vln. 1Vla. 1Vcl.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Dur: Full evening
Cast: Five singers
Instr: 2Fl. 2Ob. Pno. Str.
[Mercury Music Corp.]

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A comedy about Mélisande and her supposed Pelléas, who, being French but singing in English, express themselves in delightful Franglais.

Dur: 7'
Cast: Soprano, Alto
Instr: Cl. Pno. Vln.
Materials published: 441-41008
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Gasparina loves beings wooed by two men, but loves riches even more!

Dur: Partial evening
Cast: 2 Soprano, Soprano or Tenor, Tenor
Instr: 2Fl. 2Ob. 2E.H. 2Hn. Str.
Vocal Score published: 411-41079
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Dur: 17'
Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Bass-Baritone
Instr: Piano (1 or 2 players)
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A study of May and the relationship with her mother. Are May’s memories imagined or real? Is she sane or insane? She paces back and forth…

Dur: 23'
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano
Instr: 2Pno. Hpscd.
[Merion Music Inc.]

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Dur: 55'
Cast: 2 Soprano, 2 Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone
Instr: 1 1 2 1 - 1 1 1 0; Perc. Str.
[Mercury Music Corp.]

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Little Lucy Willow dreams of being a Queen. Two young boys join in the fantasy and declare themselves Kings. But whose fantasy is the more real? And when the two Kings duel it out and die, is it make-believe or real? Only Gertrude Stein knows.

Dur: 15'
Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Baritone
Instr: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 0; Perc. Pno. Str.
[Mercury Music Corp.]

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Dur: 55'
Cast: 2 Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone
Instr: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 0; Perc. Pno. Str.
[Mercury Music Corp.]

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9-year old Peggy has an imaginary playmate, “Clown.” The truth about the Clown (visible to the audience) is slowly revealed as Peggy realizes that her Father is dead. The Clown is now no longer needed, and says good-bye.

Dur: 45'
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, 2 Baritone
Instr: 1 0 1 0 - 1 0 0 0; Perc. Pno. Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Arthur Crew Inman was a Boston recluse who obsessively documented the countless stories related to him by people whom he would pay to hear about their lives in intimate detail. He committed suicide in 1963.

Dur: 100’
Cast: 3 Soprano, 2 Mezzo-soprano, 2 Tenor, 2 Baritone
Instr: Cl. Vln. Vla. Vcl. Cb. Hp. Perc.
[Merion Music Inc.]

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Comedy and drama ensue when a creditor comes to collect a debt left by a woman’s dead husband, with unexpected results.

Dur: 20'
Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Bass
Instr: Fl. Cl. Bsn. Vib. Perc. Pno. Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A lonely alcoholic addresses her off-stage husband while she prepares breakfast, and in so doing we learn of the dreams she envisioned for her life and the disappointments that ultimately filled it.

Dur: 45'
Cast: Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano
Instr: 1 1 1(B.Cl.) 1 – 1 1 1 0; Pno.(Cel.) Hp. Str.(5tet or section) -or - Pno.
Vocal score published: 411-41111
[Theodore Presser Company]

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On his way to the cross, Jesus is rejected by those he came to save. Lazarus asks Jesus why he dragged him from the peace of death to search for meaning, and Judas complains he was predestined by God to be the betrayer and yet must be condemned. Christ’s rejection and resulting loneliness make his crucifixion seem in vain.

Dur: 33'
Cast: 2 Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, 3 Baritone, 2 Bass
Instr: 1 1 1 1 - 1 0 0 0; Hp. Vln. Vla. Vcl.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A dramatic presentation of text adapted from Juliet’s speeches in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Dur: 15'
Cast: high voice
Instr: Pno.
Vocal score published: 411-41124
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A stellar but aging coloratura diva faces her farewell performance with fear for the loss of fame and glamour. The relief of her maid and manager that the prima donna’s temperament will now be at an end is short-lived when the diva announces she will sing yet another “farewell” concert. Now with revised voices and instrumentation

Dur: 30'
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Baritone, Tenor or Soprano
Instr: 1 1 1 1 – 1 1 0 0; Pno. 2Vln. Vla. Vcl. Cb.
Vocal score published: 411-41025
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Set to an original libretto by the composer, the comedy takes place in 1948 and tells the story of a wealthy Texas couple who want to "toughen up" their 25-year-old nephew from New York. The action takes place at the Double-T Ranch and the seedy Hotel Casablanca.

Dur: 100'
Cast: 2 Soprano, 2 Mezzo-soprano, Tenor, 2 Baritone, 2 Bass-Baritone
Instr: 1 1 1 1 – 1 1 1 0; Perc. Pno. Hp. Str.7tet
Vocal score published: 411-41114
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Lady Macbeth’s speeches, woven into a dramatic monologue.

Dur: 15’
Cast: Soprano
Instr: Piano
Vocal score published: 411-41118
[Theodore Presser Company]

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King Tancred of Padrevia immures his daughter, Gismonda, in a castle, ostensibly to protect her. By chance, she meets a young gardener, Guiscardo.. When Tancred discovers their secret love, Guiscardo is killed; Gismonda then takes poison. Tancred reveals his passion for his daughter.

Dur: 52'
Cast: Soprano, Tenor, Bass-Baritone, Narrator; 1 non-singing role
Instr: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 0; Timp. Perc. Pno. Hp. Str. (1 1 2 2 1)
Vocal score published: 411-41024
[Theodore Presser Company]

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A comedy of layer upon layer of misunderstanding … not for nothing does the title character invoke “delusion”! Just when everything appears to be hopelessly embroiled, the maid enters in the nick of time and clears up the whole mess.

Dur: 30'
Cast: 2 Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, 1 or 2 Bass-Baritone
Instr: 1 1 1 0 - 1 0 0 0; Pno. Vln. Vla. Vcl.
Vocal Score published: 411-41092
[Theodore Presser Company]

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The eternal nature of the conflict between a man, his wife and his mother is put into sharp relief by this surreal opera, set in the after-life.

Dur: 13'
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Bass
Instr: 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 0 0; Timp. Perc. Pno. Hp. String Quartet
[Theodore Presser Company]

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The replacement of a lost necklace almost bankrupts a couple of modest means. They spend years paying for the replacement, only to discover that the original was a fake.

Dur: 25'
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone
Instr: Piano
[Mercury Music Corp.]

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Dur: 45'
Cast: Soprano, 2 Tenor, Baritone, Bass
Instr: 1 1 1 1 - 0 0 0 0; Pno.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Rob meets a tall, good-looking man named Joe Coogan on a public golf course. When he learns by chance that Joe was once in love with Laura, courting her by writing her love sonnets, he becomes uncharacteristically jealous and insecure. When Laura invites Joe to dinner, Rob counters by inviting his co-writer Sally to flirt with Joe. Unbeknownst to Rob, Joe is now a priest! The mix-up leads to a zany dinner party and a surprise ending.

Dur: 60'
Cast: 2 Soprano, 1 Mezzo-soprano, 1 Tenor, 2 Baritone, 1 Bass-baritone, 1 Speaking role
Instr: A.Sax. Tpt. Tbn. 1Perc.(incl. trap set) Pno. 2Vln. Vla. Vcl. Cb.

May be presented in a double bill with Tony Caruso's Final Broadcast (some role doublings possible)
[Merion Music]

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A comedy (in pop-Broadway style). The big Star proposes to the Richest Girl in the World. She now has everything: beauty, health, and the love of a man. The moral: the richest girl is the one who finds true happiness.
After the play by Robert Patrick

Dur: 25'
Cast: 2 Soprano (or Soprano & Mezzo-Soprano), 2 Tenor
Instr: Piano
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Engaged to one, attracted to another; this tangled, rollicking tale of the professed and secret loves of its eight characters leads everyone to the brink of disaster before true love brings everyone back to their senses, and the four couples act honorably to be united in forgiveness and love.

Cast: 2 Soprano, 2 Mezzo-Soprano, 2 Tenor, 2 Baritone
Instr: Ob. Pno. 2Vln. 1Vla. 1Vcl. 1Cb.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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When performed with “A Question of Faith” (set in Russia), makes a full evening under the title "Love in Two Countries"

Poor Molette: successful businessman and good husband, he is at the “dangerous age,” unaware that he desperately craves romantic adventure. A clumsy misunderstanding leads to his being branded “that pig of a Molette,” even though his cousin, Rivet, is the real cad. Years later, the characters settle scores, in an oh-so-French way.

Dur: 60'
Cast: Lyric Soprano, Tenor or High Baritone, Comic Baritone , Vocal Quartet doubling various roles: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, (Bass-)Baritone
Instr: 1(Picc.) 1(E.H.) 1 1 - 2 0 0 0; Perc. Kbd. Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Dur: 40'
Cast: 2 Soprano, 3 Tenor, Bass
Instr: 2Ob. Hpscd. String Quartet
[Theodore Presser Company]

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The Faust tale woven in and out of an absurdist plot (the text is by Gertrude Stein, after all). To be enjoyed “in the moment,” an evening of great theatrical entertainment.

Dur: 95'
Cast: Sop., Dancer/Sop., 2 pop Mezzo-Sop., Tenor (rapper), pop High Bari., 2 Bari., Bass; Chorus (made up of anyone not featured at the moment)
Instr: Reeds (1 or more players): Sop.Sax./AltoSax./Ten.Sax./Fl./AltoFl./B(Cl./B.Cl. Pno. Cbs. Perc.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Kafka’s letter was never read by his father, and perhaps was not even intended to be. Through this specific relationship is expressed the complexity of many a parent-child relationship, with its expectations and disappointments, and in spite of everything, underlying ties.

Dur: 90'
Cast: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, Bass, non-singing male, non-singing boy, dancer
Instr: 1 0 2(Eb Cl./ B.Cl.) 0 - 2 1 1 0; 2Perc. Hp. Str. (2Vln. 2Vla. 2Vcl. 1Cb.)
[Theodore Presser Company]

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An Old Man and a Young Boy (his teenaged son) return to the ruins of the house where, long ago, the Old Man had killed his father. While the Old Man is re-living events, the son tries to steal the Old Man’s money. The two quarrel, and when the Boy threatens the Old Man, the Old Man kills him, in an attempt to stop the cycle of patricide. But the ghosts are not laid to rest, and the Old Man is doomed to live with his guilt.

Dur 35'
Cast: Tenor or Baritone (young boy role), Bass
Instr: 2 0 2 1 - 1 1 0 0; Timp. Perc. Pno. Str.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Estelle meets a friend in a bar after shopping, and as she drinks, chatters her way into revealing a darker side of her character. Lisa, the friend, remains silent and lets her run on without comment, but her enigmatic smile at the end of the opera perhaps reveals more than words ever could.

Dur: 25'
Cast: Soprano, mute female part, Waiter, Patrons (optional)
Instr: Eb AltoSax.(BbCl./EbCl.) Ten.Sax.(BbCl. B.Cl.), Tpt. 1Vln. 1Vla. 1Vcl. 1Cb. Pno.
Vocal score published: 446-41090
[Theodore Presser Company]

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Gerardo, a flamboyant dramatic tenor at the peak of his career, imagines himself to be of the same heroic fiber off stage as well, which involves him in a series of entanglements with his many feminine admirers, with tragic results.

Dur: 70'
Cast: Dramatic Soprano, Lyric Soprano (spinto), Dramatic Tenor, Tenor (buffo), Baritone, Bass-Baritone
Instr: 1(Picc.) 1(E.H.) 2(EbCl./ B.Cl.) 1 – 2 1 1 0; Perc.(Timp.) Pno. Str.(Viola divisi)
Vocal score published: 441-41001
[Theodore Presser Company]

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“A deliciously paradoxical character study of two marriageable schemers… a martini-dry thirties urban tone… and rapier musical wit.” [Peter G. Davies, New York Magazine]

Dur: 25'
Cast: Soprano, Baritone
Instr: Cl./Sop.Sax. Cl./AltoSax. Bsn. Hn. Timp. Pno. Perc. 2Vln. 1Vla. 1Vcl. 1Cb.
[Theodore Presser Company]

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